


Fall

by Emmawritesalot (orphan_account)



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Percy Jackson is Good Boyfriend, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:02:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25584070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Emmawritesalot
Summary: Percy isn't going to let Annabeth fall. At least, not on her own.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Kudos: 39





	Fall

Breaking through that parking lot with the _Argo II _and seeing both Annabeth and the Athena Parthenos intact had quite possibly been the most relieving moment of Percy's life. He definitely had faith in his girlfriend, but he would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't a little worried about her going on a solo death quest. Well, okay, "little" isn't accurate. But it's okay now, he told himself, because they were okay. They're alive, and they're together, and after being separated for months, that's what matters most.__

__"The statue is powerful. Something about it will help us top the giants," Annabeth said as he held her in his arms. She winced as she spoke, and unshed tears sparked in her eyes._ _

__"The giants' bane stands gold and pale, won with pain from a woven jail." Hazel looked at Annabeth, impressed. "It was Arachne's jail. You tricked her into weaving it."_ _

__Annabeth nodded, and they all looked at Leo, who mentioned the dimensions of fitting the giant statue on the ship, and Percy cracked a smile at the image of the statue hanging out the end of the ship._ _

__"What about you guys?" Annabeth asked. "What happened with the giants?" Percy told her about Bacchus and rescuing Nico. Annabeth's eyebrows knit together in thought, "So, the mortal side is in Epirus." she said, "At least that's somewhere we can reach."_ _

__Nico grimaced. "But the other side is the problem. Tartarus."_ _

__A familiar chill shot up Percy's spine, and he flashed back to another time. A time when he was twelve years old. In the underworld with Annabeth and Grover, he had come across the dark, consuming, evil feeling that was associated with Tartarus. It had nearly taken Grover, and the three had barely survived. The sudden presence of that feeling unnerved him, and suddenly filled with anxiety and mild panic, Percy guided Annabeth further away from the pit, and Bacchus's warning of his voyage being harder than he expected echoed in his mind. Feeling more and more confused and nervous by the second, he opened his mouth to mention it. Unfortunately for him, the cave made a loud groan and began to tremble, as if it was exhaling. The statue above them shook violently._ _

__"Secure it!" Annabeth shouted in panic. Their friends obliged, and per Hazel's instructions, they all moved toward the rope ladder. Annabeth was pale, looking anxiously at the Athena Parthenos. Percy squeezed her hand comfortingly._ _

__"It'll be fine," Percy reassured her with a small smile._ _

__Looking back on it, Percy was sure that he had jinxed their future right then and there, because that was when everything went to Hades._ _

__Nico had just reached the ladder when Annabeth gasped in pain and stumbled. "What is it?" Percy asked in concern. She continued to move toward the ladder, but… she couldn't. She kept trying to move forward, but was pulled back each time she tried to take a step. Their eyes met, and the look of sheer terror on her face set off all kinds of alarms in his head._ _

__"Annabe—"_ _

__Her legs swept out from under her before he could say any more, and her hand was wrenched out of his grasp. He stood still for a millisecond before he realized what was happening, and time began to slow down._ _

__Fear was an occupational hazard of being a demigod. And Percy had experienced his fair share of fear. Losing his mom, fighting Kronos, waking up in the wolf house with no memory, even when he thought Annabeth was going to become a Hunter of Artemis had terrified him. Now, as he watched Annabeth being dragged into the pit, he was filled with a new kind of Terror, because this time, there was nothing he could do. His mind whirred as he tried to come up with _something _that could save her.___ _

____Fueled with adrenaline, he lunged forward to grasp Annabeth's hand, and by some miracle, he managed to get ahold of her wrist._ _ _ _

____"No," He said, panicking. "My sword." But Annabeth had lost all her energy. If he let go to grab Riptide now, she would be lost forever. And there was no way he would let that happen. When Annabeth slipped over the edge, the momentum carried Percy with her, and for a moment he was free-falling over the edge of the cliff. His eye caught sight of a tiny outcropping on the cave wall about 15 feet below the edge of the chasm. Acting quickly, Percy caught hold of it, and Annabeth nearly slipped out of his grip. He tightened his grip on her arm and looked up.  
Nico was leaning over the edge of the chasm. He had his arm extended, trying to reach them, though Percy could see that it was pointless. They were too far down. There was nothing he could do. The cold, darkness pulled at him, and then he knew. Knew that this was something they weren't getting out of. _At least not together, _Percy thought bitterly. And then Annabeth managed to speak. Well , croak was more like it. Her voice sounded like sandpaper, and sounded as if each syllable caused her pain.___ _ _ _

______"Percy," she said, "Let me go. You can't pull me up." Green eyes met grey. Tears were falling down her face as she took deep, ragged breaths as their eyes met. The panic and fear in her eyes had been replaced with a vulnerability and weakness Percy had seen only once. He had a brief flashback to when they were 13, and Annabeth was lured in by the sirens, by her desire to have security, her desire to have a constant love in her live. He remembered holding her under the water as she sobbed in distress, how much he had felt for her, how he had wanted to keep her from feeling that loneliness again. This all flies across his mind in an instant, and her voice echoed in Percy's mind._ _ _ _ _ _

_______"Something Permanent." ____ _ _ _ _ _

________"Never," he said, because even if she were about to fall into the pits of Tartarus, the most dangerous place in existence, then he would be by her side. "The other side, Nico! We'll see you there! Understand?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"But—"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Lead them there!" He yelled, "Promise me!" Nico looked at him with a solemn, reserved expression._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I will," he said, and he withdrew his hand. Percy smiled sadly at him, and then looked back down at Annabeth._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"We're staying together," Percy said firmly. "You're not getting away from me. Never again."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________At that moment, it seemed to dawn on Annabeth what was going to happen to them. Percy searched her eyes, her expression. Taking in every inch of her for what may be the last time._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"As long as we're together," she said, giving him the ghost of a smile. Percy looked up one last time at the sunlight, the ship, all their friends up above them. Then, he let go of his ledge, and together, they fell into the darkness awaiting._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


End file.
